


His Most Loyal

by TearStainedAshes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Jealousy, Loyalty, Obsessive Behavior, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 18:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3906568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearStainedAshes/pseuds/TearStainedAshes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was the first to ever sneak up on him, the first to win his friendship, and the first to show him true loyalty. </p><p>The rating will go up as the story progresses. It will be a slow burn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Most Loyal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where it all began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so I began writing this after seeing The Avengers when it first came out in theatres, and it has just been sitting here on my computer waiting for me to find that spark of inspiration to continue writing it. And now that Age of Ultron is out I went back and watched Thor: The Dark World and then watched the original Thor, and now I can't get this story out of my head.
> 
> According to my Timehop, I posted to Facebook THREE YEARS AGO today that I was writing my first Loki fanfiction. And now it's finally here.
> 
> The only thing that belongs to me is my OC. I only wish Loki were mine.

She first spotted him across the giant hall whilst shadowing her mother and immediately felt a pull toward him. Her little heart hammered in her chest and she felt her palms go clammy. Her stomach became uneasy and she thought she had fallen ill, but after conferring with her mother, Fritha, she chuckled and told her, “It seems my little Valkyrie has her first crush.”

“A what?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“A crush, little one.” Her mother knelt to her level and took her small hands in her calloused ones. “It means that you like someone, or that you think someone is pretty.”

“Oh.” She looked at their hands, her mother’s engulfing her little ones. “OK.”

“Who is it?” her mother asked, smiling warmly at her. Valkyrie blushed and continued to look down at their hands as she mumbled his name.

“I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t catch that.”

“He’s… the prince,” she mumbled again, but a bit more audible that time.

“Prince Thor?” Her mother chuckled again and gently tilted her daughter’s chin up to look at her. “He is a very handsome boy, isn’t he?”

“Not Prince Thor, mother,” Valkyrie murmured, looking her mother right in her eyes. “Prince Loki.”

“Oh.” She laughed again and nodded. “Well, I suppose he is a handsome boy too. And very attached to his mother. Those boys can be troublemakers, but they will always love deeply.”

“Do you think he would love me, mother?” Valkyrie asked, her tiny heart beating rapidly in hope.

“I believe he would, Val,” Fritha assured her daughter, gently squeezing her hand. “If he were to choose you, I believe he would be deeply devoted to you. _But_ ,” she said upon seeing the glee rising on her daughter’s face, “you must not run after him quickly or force your friendship upon him. Respect him as a prince and a person.”

“Of course, mother,” she whispered, nodding her head in understanding. “I will not overwhelm Prince Loki with my… crush.”

“Good girl.” Fritha kissed Valkyrie’s forehead and stood up to go to her workbench. “Now, let’s review what we’ve learned about healing boils, shall we?”

Valkyrie smiled and climbed onto the stool next to her mother, listening eagerly though her thoughts were drowning in the image of the prince.

**...::-::...**

Valkyrie often found herself crossing paths with Prince Loki as she shadowed her mother through the palace. Being the palace healer, her mother worked within one of the deeper wings and often allowed Valkyrie to explore, but within reason. She always had to come back before her mother’s duties were finished for the day and they returned to their small home just outside the palace gates. While Queen Frigga had insisted in them staying within one of the palace’s many rooms, Fritha had politely declined, explaining that she did not want to raise her daughter in luxury so she may appreciate what she has instead of feeling a sense of entitlement to her possessions. Frigga nodded in agreement, but insisted she at least furnish their modest home with some of the finer linens the palace seamstresses created. Valkyrie now slept on a bed draped with a blanket depicting the figures from which she received her name: valkyries upon their flying steeds choosing who dies gloriously in battle and who gets to live.

Valkyrie continued to silently observe Prince Loki from afar, too skittish and shy to approach him just yet. Years went by, and they had barely exchanged a few words to one another in passing, but Valkyrie’s crush refused to fade. She was completely enamored with the prince and desperately wished she could know him better.

She finally got her wish during one of the many celebrations held within the palace. More often than not they were held in Thor’s honor, but tonight was a special celebration of peace for all of Asgard on the anniversary of their treaty with the Vanir. As members of the palace staff, Valkyrie and her mother were invited and gifted with some of the most beautiful gowns Valkyrie had ever seen. Much to her chagrin, her gown was a soft pink whereas her mother’s was a striking violet. Fritha curled her daughter’s hair into soft ringlets that framed her face in a doll-like manner, whereas her own was tied up in an elaborate bun.

For the first few hours of the celebration, Valkyrie stuck by her mother’s side as she mingled with her friends and various citizens she had helped with her healing. Even the queen herself came for a quick chat before she had to move on to greet other guests. Valkyrie saw Prince Thor and The All-Father as she wandered around the vast great hall, but she had yet to see the young Prince Loki.

Finally, after hours of wandering and watching, she spotted him leaving the hall. She snuck away from her mother and followed him, making sure she kept a safe distance so she didn’t scare him away. Based on his route, he was headed to the gardens.

_A perfect spot to initiate a first conversation_ , she thought. She took a deep breath to steady herself and finally made her way over to his side.

“Good evening,” she said, startling herself when she saw him jump. “I am sorry, my prince,” she said quickly as he turned to glare at her. “I did not mean to startle you.”

“You snuck up on me,” was all he said, his eyes wide in shock.

“Y-yes,” she stammered, swallowing as his gaze turned dark as he took her in.

“No one has ever snuck up on me,” he growled. “No one.” He stared down at her, watching as she shrank slightly beneath his gaze. “Why are you following me?” he asked after a few moments of tense silence and scrutiny.

“I saw you leave the hall and I… I wanted to see if you were alright.” He sniffed and continued to stare her down. She cowered a bit under the intensity of his gaze, but managed to hold her ground.

“Aren’t you the healer’s daughter?” he asked, his defensive posture easing slightly.

“Yes, my prince,” she said, nodding and curtseying before him. He nodded his head at her and she rose, holding her hands in front of her gown. He looked her up and down before his eyes settled back on her face, taking in her bright green eyes. She stared into his own, swallowing under the intensity of his gaze.

He blinked and ended their staring contest, walking away with his hands clasped behind his back. She took a moment to catch her breath and steady her racing heart before following him, matching his stride to walk alongside him. She saw his posture stiffen at her presence, but he did not tell her to leave him be, so she stayed. But as they reached the gardens, she couldn’t take his silence anymore.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” she asked him. He didn’t answer her, hoping that she would get the hint. Unfortunately, she didn’t. She continued to follow him, much to his chagrin. He couldn’t even tell himself why he didn’t just tell her to go away, but that would be much too easy. She had snuck up on him, the first to ever do so, and he supposed he was intrigued by her cunning and her tenacity. He had thought he’d left the celebration without anyone noticing, but this girl surprised him in many ways with her unerring patience.

As they approached his mother’s gardens, an area she only permitted certain guests to enter, he finally spoke in an attempt to get her to leave.

“Go away,” he growled as menacingly as he could muster. She did not respond and instead continued to follow him into his mother’s gardens. He did not wish to get in trouble with his mother for allowing this girl into her private gardens without her permission, so he allowed his patience to snap and rounded on the girl.

“You dare defy your prince?” He turned to look at her and she stopped dead in her tracks, a shiver running through her at the fury in his eyes. She had the decency to look ashamed and stared down at her feet. When she spoke again it wasn’t in English but in the ancient Asgardian tongue that had all but died in their land. Her voice was soft as she apologized, and she spoke as if she didn’t realize she had slipped into the language. It wasn’t until she finally looked up and saw the mixture of confusion and awe on his face did she grasp what had happened.

“My apologies, Prince Loki,” she said in English. “I meant no disrespect. I just thought you would like some company is all. And I apologize for slipping into—”

“The ancient Asgardian tongue,” he finished for her. “It is quite remarkable really. Where did you learn to speak it?”

“My mother taught it to me. As the healer of the palace, and I her protégé, we must fully understand and speak the language for the elders who still use it.”

Loki looked at the girl, the daughter of the healer, with new eyes. He studied her, taking in her appearance fully.

She was dressed in a simple pale pink dress that fell past her knees and made her skin look like a soft golden brown as if she had spent a fair amount of time out in the sun, her fair hair had been curled in places and there were strands of pink ribbon placed throughout her locks that matched her dress. She was a striking creature for someone so young. When he felt like he had observed her long enough he simply walked away, hoping that he had finally talked to her enough that she would go away.

“Hey! Hey, wait!” she yelled, following him once more, not wanting to lose her nerve before she had forgotten to tell the prince her name. He growled as he heard her footsteps approaching him yet again. He clenched his fists at his side, willing her to just go away, though he knew she wouldn’t. He made his way deep into the garden and plopped down on one of the benches. She timidly sat next to him, placing her hands in her lap while she waited for him to relax.

It took quite a while, but she was patient. She had to be to be a healer. So, she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

When his hands finally unclenched, she took it to mean that he had finally accepted her presence. She then forced herself to wait for him to speak, knowing that if she spoke first then he would close himself up again.

“Why are you here?” he finally asked, a slight edge to his voice.

“Because I didn’t want you to be alone,” she said quietly, omitting her true reason from him. “It is a day for celebration. But you look like you don’t want to celebrate.”

“No, I don’t,” he scoffed.

“Any particular reason why?”

“My brother is an oaf,” he spat. “He does not deserve all the attention that he gets. He may be the first-born son but he is not the wisest choice to ascend the throne.”

“And you are?” she questioned.

“Of course I am,” he said, looking at her with scorn. “I am much more intelligent, I do not harbor any petty issues towards any of the realms, and I do not wish to start a war simply for the sake of being able to fight. But I will never be king, not as the second-born son.”

“Thor has his faults,” she admitted. “And I fear that your father favors him due to his warrior nature.”

Loki blinked. He had never met anyone who had not liked his brother. Thor was the golden child, the first in line for the throne, and was adored by everyone. But this girl, she was different from the rest of the Asgardians. She wasn’t as blind as the others, and saw Thor for who he was: an idiot incapable of properly ruling the kingdom without starting a war on his first day.

“As do I,” he said after a few moments of silent astonishment. “I know he favors Thor over me. I can see it in his eye. He looks at me with scorn and dread, like I’m going to turn into a monster right in front of him.”

“I do not think you are a monster, my prince,” she offered. The corner of his lip twitched in a small smile at her words. They remained silent for a few minutes more, gazing up at the stars as the celebration raged on inside the palace.

“Tell me something,” Loki said, suddenly breaking the silence. “Why are you really here?”

“I am here to keep you company,” she answered, never taking her face away from the stars.

“No. I do not need company. You want more than that from me.”

The girl froze, sitting rigidly in her seat. _How did he know?_ she asked herself. When he just continued to stare at her she sighed in defeat.

“I wish to know you,” she admitted.

“Know me?”

“As a friend,” she said sheepishly, hiding her face behind her hair. Loki didn’t know how to respond. Never before had anyone asked to be his friend, let alone actually want to be his friend.

“You wish to be my friend?” he asked, voicing his thoughts so he may get an answer.

“Yes, my prince. You and I are not so different, yes?”

“We are very different,” he spat. “We have absolutely nothing in common.”

The girl lowered her head, knowing better than to challenge his word at that point.

“Of course, my prince,” she murmured. “May I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” he answered with a smirk. She spared a small smile but continued.

“Would you share something of yourself with me?”

“No,” was his gruff reply.

“It does not have to be anything big,” she explained. “Start with something small. Like, what is your favorite color?” When he didn’t answer she added, “If I tell you mine will you tell me yours?”

“Such a childish way of negotiating,” he muttered.

“But we are children, are we not?”

“You may be a child, but I most certainly am not,” he growled.

“I happen to be 14 years old,” she told him, pride in her voice at revealing her supposed level of maturity. “I am not a child anymore. What about you?”

“I’m almost 17,” he answered after a pause.

“See? Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” She grinned in triumph. “Now, my favorite color is a light, bright green. What is yours?”

“Dark green,” he answered in defeat.

“Ah! See! We do have something in common!”

“Sharing a favorite color does not make us similar.”

“I did not say we were similar. I merely said that we have something in common,” she clarified.

“What’s the difference?” When she opened her mouth to speak he held up a hand to silence her. “That was a rhetorical question that did not require an answer.” She closed her mouth while she thought of another question.

“I hate the color pink,” she finally said. Loki looked at her, eyeing her pink dress.

“But your—”

“My dress is pink, I know,” she said, scrunching up her nose in distaste. “Mother said it was a good color for my skin tone, but I absolutely hate it.” She huffed and rested her chin in her hands, balancing her elbows on her knees as she pouted. Loki laughed softly at her attitude. He decided she wasn’t such bad company, and so he decided to ease her garment woes. He gently grabbed the hem of her dress and it began to change to a light, bright green as she had described earlier. She gasped as she watched the change. When it was complete, she stood up and twirled around experimentally.

“It is beautiful,” she whispered, mesmerized by her new dress. “How did you do that?”

“My mother has been tutoring me in sorcery,” he explained. “This was one of the more basic spells.”

“Oh! Sorcery is so fascinating. I’d love to learn to be a sorceress, but Mother says that level of magic is beyond me.”

“Nonsense,” he scoffed. “You already know enough magic through your healer training. Sorcery would only help you further in your endeavors.”

“Do you really think so, my prince?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

“Of course.” He paused, thinking over his next words with care. “I… I suppose I could talk to my mother and see if she might tutor you as well. If you would be interested?”

“Oh, my prince! That would be wonderful!” She rushed forward to hug him, catching him off guard and sending them flying back off the stone bench. They landed in a patch of flowers, pollen and a few insects flying everywhere. She gasped when she realized what she’d done and quickly stood up, brushing dirt off her dress.

“My prince, I am so sorry,” she apologized as she offered to help him up. “I meant no harm or disrespect. I—”

“Hush, girl,” he said, dismissing her offer for help. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers and smoothed out his dress robes. “I know it was accidental, though I ask that you do not touch me again without explicit permission. Understood?”

“Yes, my prince,” she said, bowing slightly as she hung her head in shame. She cleared her throat and looked back up at him. “Thank you for changing my dress. It is much better than it was.” He nodded in acknowledgment and sat back on the bench to stare at the stars. She hesitated before joining him and staring up at the night sky. Loki watched her as she relaxed, her embarrassment falling off her as she searched the sky for constellations and shooting stars. He knew it was his turn to share his least favorite color with her, but he wanted to wait and see if she would mention it. Though in all the fuss, she had probably forgotten what they had been talking about.

“Red,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence. She blinked and turned to look at him, confusion in her eyes. So, she had forgotten after what had happened. Typical.

“Red is my least favorite color,” he explained. She nodded in understanding. That was Thor’s color. She felt pity for him but she knew that he would not accept it. He was a prince of Asgard, a son of Odin, and he was known to be very strong-willed and closed off to many. Yet here she was, a simple daughter of a healer, and she had not only gotten him to answer some of the simplest questions but had also gotten him to offer to tutor her in sorcery. She smiled to herself as she turned her face back up to search the sky, but her smile quickly fell as she felt a pull in her chest and she abruptly stood to face the palace.

“My mother is looking for me,” she said. “I must go before she begins to worry. It was wonderful talking to you, my prince. I hope to begin my tutelage in sorcery very soon.” She bowed her respects before turning to leave. She had barely taken three steps before the prince stopped her.

“Wait.” She turned to see the prince standing from the bench as he made his way to her. “I do not know what to call you,” he said. “What is your name?”

“Valkyrie Frithadottir, my prince,” she answered with a smile.

“Valkyrie,” he said, making her blush as he said her name. “Why did your mother choose to name you after those who choose who live and who die in battle? It does not seem a fitting name for a healer.”

“I suppose that is precisely why she chose it,” Valkyrie said, shrugging slightly. “It is a name that can make enemies tremble in fear, but also perhaps bring comfort to those dying of natural causes. It makes them feel as if… as if I have come for them to grant them access to Valhalla rather than what truly awaits them.”

Loki hummed softly as he listened to her. “Well then, Valkyrie, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He took her hand and put it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. Her cheeks flushed a dark pink at his cool touch but she didn’t dare pull away.

“It was a pleasure to make yours as well, my prince,” she said after she’d found her voice. “I hope to see you again soon?”

“And so we shall,” he said, a genuine smile on his face. “Goodnight, Miss Valkyrie. Do enjoy the rest of the celebration.”

“Thank you, my prince. I wish you a pleasant evening.” She bowed once more and walked back to the palace to find her mother.

“Valkyrie Frithadottir,” Loki mused to himself when she was out of earshot, testing her name on his tongue. Not only had she been the first to ever sneak up on him, but she had also gotten him to have a somewhat decent conversation and promise to get her tutelage in sorcery. He wasn’t sure if she would be a good friend or not, but he was willing to see where it would go. It would be nice to have someone to talk to who wasn’t infatuated with his brother and whom he could call his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three years later and it's finally here. My first Loki fanfic. I did a major overhaul from the first time I'd drafted this, and holy crap it's so much better than what I wrote when I was 20.
> 
> So Valkyrie's name is of Norse origin and means "Chooser of the Slain" which is freaking awesome and fitting since she is going to be Loki's most loyal. And I chose Frithadottir as her last name because it would be the traditional Icelandic naming, literally meaning she is Fritha's daughter. Now, normally the name would come from the father and not the mother, but my headcanon is that Fritha does not know who Valkyrie's father is, so she took her mother's name instead of her father's. Fritha also means "peace," which I thought was fitting for a healer.
> 
> I decided not to give them specific ages in this either since I don't know what an Asgardian year is nor what age would constitute being a child or an adolescent. Their 70 could be our 7. Who really knows? I'll have to do some research for this to figure it out, but I basically see Valkyrie as 13 Earth years, Loki as 15 Earth years, and Thor as 17 Earth years in this first chapter. Just so you guys can have some perspective. 
> 
> I have a lot planned for this seeing as it's been in the works for three freaking years, so I hope I'll be able to get a lot done during the summer. I'm going home this weekend, so a Marvel movie marathon will definitely be happening. I gotta get my inspiration somewhere!
> 
> ~TSA
> 
> (May 14) Edit: I found this amazing post on tumblr (http://tearstainedashes.tumblr.com/post/118942787735) that really helped put Asgardian ages in perspective for me. So after I figured out the formula, I was able to calculate their Asgardian ages versus the Midgardian ages I see them as in the beginning of this. Since I see Loki as 15, so the formula is x/5000 = 15/82. So x = 5000(15)/82, which is approximately 915. And Valkyrie's was similar only I see her as 13 in Midgardian terms, so just replace 15 with 13 in the formula to get her age (it should come out around 793 if I did my math right, which I should have considering I used to be a math major).
> 
> (May 3, 2017 edit) So... it's been a while. And I've changed the story a bit once more. I decided that their ages I initially had (mentioned in the edit above) wouldn't work for what I have planned. So I changed them once more as I figure at almost 800 years, they would be adults and not children. I don't think aging on Asgard is that slow that they would be children for over 800 years before they began to slowly age into adults. That would be awful. 
> 
> And so, here I am, nearly two years later, with an updated first chapter. I have been reading _Norse Mythology_ by Neil Gaiman and I have been so inspired to write more of this story. I want to include some of the Norse lore in this, as well as elements from the Marvel films versus the comics as I have not read them, so I hope they blend well together. I'm not sure when I'll have chapter two finished, but I do have a long break from work next week (four whole days off!), so I'm hoping to get some reading done and some writing done during that time. Here's hoping my writer's block doesn't come back too soon. Especially with Ragnarok coming out in six months (!!!!!!). So I want to get as much written down for this first story as I can before Loki in his yellow cape consumes me.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> TSA


End file.
